The Gas Savings Calculator

Flickr Group

The first time I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt was a in movie called Brick: a weird homage to film noir set in a modern day high school.

Instead of a private detective, Gordon-Levitt’s character is a high school student investigating the disappearance of his girlfriend into the underworld of stoners. Instead of a corrupt district attorney, there is an assistant principal, and so on. Imagine a 16-year-old Sam Spade in a present-day California suburb.

After seeing that film, I thought I’d keep my eye on Gordon Levitt. That didn’t last long. His films turned out to be hit-or-miss according to my tastes — not a sure thing.

When I saw the trailer for Premium Rush, I felt justified losing interest in his career, because it looked to me like it would be a portrayal of city cycling as a dangerous undertaking, for high-risk-taking adrenalin junkies only. (Was I wrong? I still haven’t seen it.)

I was tipped off by Richard Masoner that Gordon-Levitt had shown some bike ankle. (You do read Cyclelicio.us, don’t you?)

This morning I dove into the depths of depravity that are Oscar red carpet videos until I found the animated GIF image above.

It’s almost enough to get me to follow his career again.

Almost.

And because I’ve learned that nothing is more important than analyzing what entertainers wear, I’ve done a detailed analysis of that sock — zooming in and enhancing the image with the latest modern digital forensic tools.

A still taken from the animated GIF image.

Enlarge and rotate…

Interesting… but inconclusive,

Still a bit blurry.

Detail enhanced: Yes, I do believe I’ve seen that logo before.

In case it’s not totally obvious, I faked those photos — except for the original one at the very top. Plus the fact that we don’t sell socks with our logo.

But I did not make up the report about the bike socks. And in my research today, I discovered that Gordon-Levitt kind of has a sock thing — actually a reputation for wearing mismatched socks. These are things you know if you are a 15-year-old girl.

7 Responses to “Bike Socks at the Oscars: Joseph Gordon‑Levitt”

Premium Rush is a formulaic, silly, and predictable action adventure film. If you are looking for a realistic portrayal of urban cycling, this is not the movie for you. If, however, you can suspend belief and let your inner twelve year old take control of your brain for a bit you might find it as enjoyable as I did. The opening chase sequence is Steve McQueen caliber good.

Mostly agree with listermark’s review of Premium Rush. What the movie is REALLY great for is a source for quotes as comebacks for all the fixie riders and spandex-clad Super Roadies who give me grief about riding a bike with 50+ pounds of commuting gear:

I just watched one scene from Premium Rush — the one with the “brakes are death” quote. And I already know that if I see the movie I’ll be rooting for the drug dealers, the Mafia, the corrupt politicians, the fire-breathing monsters, or whoever is up against that annoying character played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

“If, however, you can suspend belief and let your inner twelve year old take control of your brain for a bit you might find it as enjoyable as I did. The opening chase sequence is Steve McQueen caliber good.”

I was able to and I came to the same conclusion. I’ve been wanting to ride a fixie for a few years now. I only just now broke down and converted an old, unused bike my wife had to be a fixie and rode it yesterday for the first time. And, as expected, it’s a fun ride. Down hill is very interesting.

I wouldn’t own it for my only bike, but for one of many, why not? It’s a blast to ride.

I’ll probably ride it to work here and there since I don’t have too many hills and the traffic is pretty light such that the potential for quick stopping isn’t required.